Open House: What needs to be done to encourage more participation by women in agriculture endeavours?

Advocate policies on women’s issues

To further encourage the participation of women in the latest agricultural endeavours, it is crucial to implement the following measures:

Conduct specialised training programmes to equip women with modern agricultural techniques, drone technology and sustainable farming practices; empower them with knowledge to enhance their confidence and efficiency; ensure easy access to agricultural resources such as seeds, fertilizers and machinery; establish women-friendly agricultural resource centres to facilitate their involvement in every stage of farming; provide financial support and easy credit facilities specifically designed for women farmers; create platforms for women farmers to network, share experiences and learn from each other; establish agricultural cooperatives or self-help groups that can foster a sense of community and mutual support; conduct awareness campaigns highlighting the success stories of women in agriculture; advocate policies that recognise and address the unique challenges faced by women in agriculture; ensure women have access to and are proficient in using modern technologies, including drones, for precision farming.

These initiatives would enable farmers to invest in new technologies, diversify crops and improve overall farm productivity. They will enhance land ownership rights, access to markets, and participation in decision-making processes.

Bridging the digital divide will enhance their ability to adapt to innovative agricultural practices. These steps would not only inspire others but also challenge stereotypes, fostering a more inclusive perception of women’s roles in farming. By combining these measures, we can create an environment that not only welcomes but actively promotes the meaningful involvement of women in the evolving landscape of agriculture.

Shruti Lamba

Committed to women’s empowerment

The NaMo Drone Didis scheme aims to boost self-confidence and encourage active participation of young women farmers in the latest agricultural endeavours. In this way, the economically empowered women will contribute to the development of the state and the nation. These skilled female pilots, known as NaMo Drone Didis, will help to achieve higher productivity, enhanced crop health and reduced environmental impact using nano-urea and nano-DAP with drones. We are committed to helping women to become integral stakeholders of their local farming supply chains and rural prosperity. — Sakshi Sawhney, Deputy Commissioner

Address protesting farmers’ grievances

Just a few days after the farmers marched to Delhi with hundreds of tractors, demanding an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, the Central Government distributed drones worth Rs 60 lakh to four women peasants in Ludhiana district as part of the NaMo Drone Didi scheme, which was launched exclusively for female farmers in December 2023. This flagship scheme provides a woman farmer with a drone system (including an electrical vehicle and a generator) worth Rs 15 lakh. The scheme’s goal is to empower women, modernise agriculture and overcome fertilizer specific challenges. However, the rolling out of such an appealing scheme should go beyond fancy nomenclature, as it happened previously with ‘Beti Bachao,’ ‘Achche Din’ and many government schemes that were launched on the eve of elections, to cash in with clever slogans. Therefore, to instil confidence and encourage women to participate in farming, the government must address the grievances of protesting farmers and recognise that a protest is a sign that at least some people are rising out of the stupor induced by the opium of incentives with which malefactors attempt to lead them astray.

Novin Christopher

Facilitate networking opportunities

The NaMo Drone Didi Scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has helped women in the local farming supply chains and is adding to their notion of independence and social security. It is a great initiative by the government. Some other steps or measures can be adopted to add to the ground covered, such as educating and training women in the rural areas or reaching their doorsteps to create awareness and to educate them about the agricultural sciences. Despite the modernisation, there is still a sense of general inequality and people consider women ‘incapable’ of doing work outside the house; so, with the help of moral values, ethics and reasoning, there should be an acknowledgement of the role of the women. They should better access to financial resources. The government should make it simple and efficient for women to avail financial help such as insurance and finance facilities to empower them as independent farmers. Another method could be providing them with networking opportunities. They shall find it uplifting to connect with farm suppliers for seeds, pesticides, sprayers and irrigation technologies.

Purva

Provide for equitable land ownership

To encourage greater involvement of women in modern agricultural initiatives, concerted efforts must be made to dismantle entrenched gender norms and stereotypes that perpetuate unequal access to resources and opportunities. Providing women farmers with equitable access to land ownership, credit facilities and agricultural inputs is paramount in levelling the playing field and empowering them to thrive as independent stakeholders in the local farming supply chains. Moreover, investing in targeted skill development and capacity-building programmes can equip women with the knowledge and expertise needed to leverage cutting-edge technologies, such as drones, precision farming techniques and sustainable agricultural practices. By bridging the gender gap in agricultural education and training, we can unlock the full potential of women as agents of change and innovation in the agrarian sector. Furthermore, fostering supportive ecosystems that prioritise women’s voices and leadership in decision-making processes is essential in nurturing an inclusive agricultural landscape. Establishing women-led cooperatives, SHGs and peer support networks can provide a platform for collective empowerment, knowledge sharing and advocacy for gender-responsive policies.

Shruti Saggar

Micro-finance areas of interest

Four women farmers from different parts of the district have become NaMo Drone Didis under PM Narendra Modi's flagship scheme aimed at helping women to become integral stakeholders of their local farming supply chains. This will prove a positive step towards the empowerment of women working in farms in Ludhiana district. Earlier, women were not taking interest in farming. Conservatively it was thought farming is not a high yielding enterprise, but now, the Union Government is providing all help right from training and marketing of farm products in the country. A congenial environment is needed so the women can contribute in farming and the supply chains. Well coordinated efforts by the state and Central governments are required to attract women to farming. The government should provide enough training on the workings of drones and their possible use in farming, specifically in spraying pesticides and fertilizers. Exhort them to take up floriculture and horticulture, fisheries and dairying; give them subsidies for seeds, micro-finance their preferred areas of interest in farming and provide marketing opportunities for their produce. Moreover, work to reduce the risk of crop failure, introduce insurance tools to mitigate losses, institute financial awards and empower them with relevant education and practical skills, the panchayats should also encourage them. Male dominant patriarchal attitudes should be shunned. All these measures have the potential to improve the participation of women in agricultural endeavours aimed at a well-paced national development.

Sukhdev Sharma

Let drone pilots meet, inform farmers

Under the NaMo Didi Scheme, women farmers who are associated with the SHGs are provided with training to become drone pilots. These drones are used to spray pesticides on crops. Pesticide companies or start-ups fund the trainees. The NaMo Didi initiative targets 15,000 women, and this will enable them to use drones for crop monitoring, sowing seeds and spraying fertilizers. In association with the SHGs, seminars and webinars can introduce more women to the scheme. The meet-and-greet with the pilots can boost the morale of the farmers. They can inform them about the improvements in their agricultural lives. This will result in making them confident and self-reliant and ensure healthy living. Informal vlogs about the training and clips from the drones in field can provide an enriching experience for the viewers. More pesticide companies should come forward with investment plans involving farmers from various districts. With this, the pilots can be turned into their leading consumers.

Tanvi Aggarwal

Women can ensure quality, sustainability

This is a very good beginning. It is the beginning of involving the whole community for the collective good. This will ensure use of right quantity of pesticides. These didis can help procure the pesticides in bulk, at competitive rates and can ensure quality standards are maintained. This can reduce costs and mishaps related to use of pesticides. This spirit should be carried forward and more activities at the collective level should be encouraged. These may include procurement of other inputs, processing and storage of agricultural produce and its marketing. Ultimately, this may lead to collective farming which will solve all the problems related to agriculture. However, keeping politics and politicians out these initiatives is the sine qua non.

Ravinder Mittal

Recruit more Namo drone didis

Women’s empowerment is the key to building a strong developed nation. This is especially the case when women flourish economically and contribute to the upliftment of the downtrodden. NaMo Drone Didi is an initiative, launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 30, 2023, with an aim to supply drones to 15,000 women self-help groups to rent out the drones to farmers. It is a wonderful example of harnessing technological innovation to empower women. The scheme aims to enhance agricultural productivity by putting the women at the centre of the rural economy, spearheading a new agricultural revolution.

This scheme will be a game-changer by providing new work opportunities to women and bulwarking their status as the backbone of the rural economy.

A few days back, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner handed over drones to four women, known as NaMo Drone Didis under this scheme. These women had undergone a comprehensive training programme conducted by IFFCO (Indian Farmers’ Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd). Each drone system consists of an electrical vehicle and a generator that cost Rs 15 lakh and has been given to them free of cost. These skilled women pilots would help achieving higher productivity and reduced environmental impact using nano-urea and nano-DAP. This way, the woman pilots will be able to spray fertilizers and pesticides on an acre’s area in under seven minutes.The district BDPOs must maintain a close liaison with the sarpanches of the villages falling in their respective blocks for recruitment of more women as Namo Drone Didis to ensure a positive revolution in the agricultural practices besides promoting women’s empowerment in agriculture.

RS Sembhi

Highlight women success stories

The government should focus on customised education and training programmes for women in agriculture to boost their active involvement. Financial aid, including grants and loans, can also play a vital role in empowering women entrepreneurs. Encouraging entrepreneurship through mentorship and networking would also help significantly. Additionally, the authorities should raise awareness about the importance of women’s participation in agriculture and highlight success stories of women farmers and entrepreneurs to inspire others. They should also ensure that women have equal access to resources such as credit, markets and technology. By creating an enabling environment we can empower women to drive sustainable agricultural progress for a better future.

Tamanpreet Kaur Khangura

Utilise home, Agri science facilities

Farm women must participate in agricultural endeavours to add to the farmers’ kitty. There are many areas they can contribute to. They can learn the nuances of good nutrition whereby they may prepare novel nutritious food products using farm produce. For this, the facilities of home science colleges in the state can be used. There are qualified teachers who should be assigned the duty of training the farm women. Another area in the field of farming that must be utilised to train farm women to earn more for the family is the cultivation of mushrooms and selling them at the farmers’ market. In most of the hill states in the country, the farm women do the labour in their holdings in the absence of their husbands who have migrated to the city in search of employment. The income of these families is very low. Such farm women must be trained in the conventional farming methods at the state agricultural universities, ultimately equipping them to increase the income of their families. The home science colleges and state agricultural universities must develop programmes to this end. At present, they are concentrating on activities concerning only men. Further, there are Skill Development Centres in the country which must develop special training programmes in different areas concerning women. These steps will help encourage active participation of the fairer sex in the latest agricultural endeavours.

Gautam Dev

Women should help chalk out proposals

It is a welcome step to make women self-reliant and economically independent in the field of agriculture. The NaMo Drone Didi campaign will boost the morale of women in rural areas. Other steps that may lend support to women can include providing them with micro-loans on easy instalments to set up household business such as agro-processing units. Women can also take to preparing and packaging fruits and vegetables or to start making hand-made goods. Women in rural areas should be empowered by creating self-help groups (SHG). Women should come forward and must manage poultry, fisheries and milch animals so they may have their own business and contribute to the economic growth of the nation. Small units of kinnow processing and vegetable and seeds procurement may be set up. Khadi udyog should be promoted. Women must have their groups to help chalk out future proposals to start new ventures.

Dr Mohd Saleem Farooqui

QUESTION

There is no standard operating procedures (SOPs) or guidelines for providing no objection certificate (NOC) or permitting connections to the sewer lines and maintenance or desilting of sewer lines in Ludhiana. What needs to be done to check this major lapse on the part of civic authorities?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to [email protected]  by Thursday (March 14)

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